In Moldova, the harvest of apples will be significantly higher than last year, but the quality of the fruit causes criticism

Specialists of the associations of agricultural producers of Moldova believe that due to the large amount of precipitation in the spring and in the first half of summer this year, the APPLE harvest in the country will exceed 500 thousand tons (in 2020 - about 430 thousand tons, in 2019 - 610 thousand tons, in 2018 - 665 thousand tons). tons). Against the background of last year's result, when apples lost weight due to a severe drought, the crop growth forecast for this year looks significant. However, if we focus on the maximum harvests of apples (in 2018-2019), then the expert forecast for the production of the main Moldovan fruit this year may seem too cautious. What are the reasons?

Over the past four to five years, experts from fruit growers' organizations have noted a downward trend in relation to the total area of ​​apple plantations in the country. During this period, it decreased by 3-4 thousand hectares, in 2021 the area of ​​fruit-bearing apple orchards will probably be slightly less than 50 thousand hectares. But this fact will not significantly affect the final yield.

The main problem, according to experts, "is the differentiation of apple orchards according to the level of agricultural technologies." This year, due to rains, a significant part of horticultural farms could not control the spread of scab in apple orchards. Large enterprises did not have time to carry out sanitation in the short periods between rains, or their effectiveness was low. Small farms saved on drugs or services (mechanized spraying).

As a result, as many agronomists note, “by the beginning of August, autumn varieties of apples are large, but many fruits are affected by diseases and will only be suitable for processing.”